New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday formed a committee of experts to evaluate whether a girl diagnosed with autism can be admitted to a private school in the capital or if she needs a school for children with special needs.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on an appeal filed by GD Goenka Public School against an earlier direction to admit the child in Class 1 or an age-appropriate class as a fee-paying student.

“To allay apprehension in the mind of the appellant, we propose constitution of a committee of experts, along with her mother and school counsellor, to evaluate the girl and give its opinion as to whether she can be admitted in G D Goenka or a school of children with special needs,” the bench said.

The bench also directed the concerned doctor to examine the child and conduct any necessary study to reach a conclusion.

The court was hearing an appeal against a July 1 order of a single judge, which had held that "inclusive education" is about belongingness — recognising that every child has a place in the classroom not because they are the same, but because they are different, and the difference enriches the learning environment for all.

According to the petition before the single-judge bench, the child was born in May 2017 and was suspected to have autism in November 2019, leading to therapy that was later interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She was admitted to the school in the 2021-22 academic session under the "sibling clause." Her parents had informed the school about her speech delay during admission.

In December 2021, she was diagnosed with mild autism and recommended various therapies. When offline classes resumed in April 2022, the diagnosis was submitted to the school. The parents requested support in the form of a shadow teacher or allowing a “special educator” to assist her in class.

Due to constant pressure and lack of support from the school, her education was stated to have been discontinued from January 2023.

The court directed that the child be permitted to attend school with the assistance of a parent-appointed shadow teacher, subject to the school's basic norms of decorum and safety.

It further directed the Directorate of Education to monitor the child's reintegration and ensure the school provides an inclusive and non-discriminatory environment.